LaddieDay at Feis Ile 2016

The sun shone down on Bruichladdich for the sixteenth successive year during Laddieday 2016 at Feis Ile, the Islay Festival of Malt and Music. There were those who thought that the retirement of Jim McEwan might see our luck with the Weathergods change this year, but no – it was hotter than ever….

There was much interest in Adam Hannett’s first Feis Masterclass of course – and you can find an overview of the event here. Adam fairly knocked it out of the park with a tremendous show of seven (or even eight) drams that explored terroir and the work of distillers past and present.

The crowds in the courtyard were as big as ever and they had even more music than usual to listen to. Much sunscreen was needed as The Whisky River Boat Band, Blueswater, The Maverick Angels, Angela Dunbar, The Islay Pipe Band and the mighty Skipinnish hit the stage. The, dancing literally never stopped – because when the bands were not playing we had the Laddie Line Dancers and Ella Edgar’s Highland Dancers to keep the momentum going. I dont think that there can ever have been a more enthusiastic reception to the programme.

It is unlikely that a Yellow Submarine has ever been suspended high above the stage at a distillery open day before either. It is also unlikely that distillery managers have passed through the crowd offering free drams of a 25 year old whisky, two unique bottles of which had just been auctioned for charity raining three thousand pounds. You just never know what will happen next…

Very large numbers of people work very hard for many hours, days and weeks to make our Open Days safe and enjoyable events. Our CEO Simon Coughlin says: “The successful planning, organisation and execution of Laddieday is a great achievement . My heartfelt thanks to everyone involved both at the distillery and beyond. Our Open Day attracts the biggest crowds of the Festival and its smooth operation is a credit to all concerned.”